INDICTMENT RETURNED

Randy G. Massey, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on April 23, 2007, LOWELL THOMAS LAKIN, a.k.a. Tom Lakin, age 66, of Malibu, California, and formerly of East Alton, Illinois, was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in East St. Louis, Illinois in a 7-count Indictment, charging him with: two counts of maintaining a place for the purpose of distributing cocaine (Counts 1 and 2); two counts of distributing cocaine to a person under age 21 (Counts 3 and 5); one count of distribution of cocaine (Count 4); one count of transportation of a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in sexual activity constituting a crime under California law (Count 6); and one count of forfeiture (Count 7). The alleged violations took place in Madison County, Illinois, and elsewhere, during the years 1998 - 2002, and 2007. The indictment was previously suppressed, but has since been unsealed.

The maximum penalties that can be imposed on each of Counts 1 and 2 are not more than 20 years’ imprisonment, and a $500,000 fine.

The maximum penalties that can be imposed on each of Counts 3 and 5 are not more than 40 years’ imprisonment, and a $1,000,000 fine; the minimum sentence that can be imposed for a violation of this statute is 1 year imprisonment.

The maximum penalties that can be imposed on Count 4 are not more than 20 years’ imprisonment, and a fine of $1,000,000.

The maximum penalties that can be imposed on Count 6 are life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The minimum sentence that can be imposed for a violation of this statute is 10 years’ imprisonment.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

Evidence for this indictment was gathered in an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Illinois State Police. The case has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen Clark and Kevin Burke for prosecution.